Modular bike lock

ABSTRACT

A modular bike lock includes a locking mechanism and a securement mechanism coupled with the locking mechanism. The securement mechanism wraps around at least a portion of a bicycle and includes a locking end configured to engage with the locking mechanism to lock the bike lock. The bike lock includes a wireless communications interface and a processor that receives, using the interface, a selection from a mobile device that indicates that the mobile device has selected to use the bike lock and communicates, using the interface, a unique identifier associated with the bike lock to the mobile device, the unique identifier enabling the mobile device to unlock the bike lock. The bike lock locks automatically in response to receiving the locking end within a portion of the locking mechanism without receiving an additional input from the mobile device. The bike lock is mountable on a support structure.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/214,851 filed Sep. 4, 2015, entitled “MODULAR BIKE LOCK,” theentire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, for allpurposes, as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, users must carry their own bike locks with them when planningon leaving their bike in a public location. Oftentimes, these locks canbe large and/or heavy, and may not be easily carried while riding thebike to and from a destination. Additionally, such locks require the useof a key and/or a combination that must be remembered. Solutions forsecuring bikes using conventional methods are desired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present inventions provide bike commuters the abilityto secure their bikes without having to carry a bike lock with them. Thebike locks provided herein are compact electromechanical devices thatmay be locked in a purely mechanical fashion, while being unlocked viaan electronic command received a wireless communication protocol, suchas Wi-Fi, Bluetooth® or near field communication (NFC), and/or otherradio frequency (RF) or wireless protocol, via a mobile device. The bikelock may then be connected with a wireless communications hub, which mayconnect to a larger network, such as the Internet. Such a configurationallows a user to control lock/unless access of the bike lock remotelyusing the mobile device.

In one aspect, a modular bike lock is provided. The modular bike lockmay include a locking mechanism, a securement mechanism coupled with thelocking mechanism, a wireless communications interface, and a processor.The securement mechanism may be configured to wrap around at least aportion of a bicycle. The securement mechanism may include a locking endconfigured to engage with the locking mechanism to lock the modular bikelock. The processor may be configured to receive, using the wirelesscommunications interface, a selection from a mobile device thatindicates that a user of the mobile device has selected to use themodular bike lock and to communicate, using the wireless communicationsinterface, a unique identifier associated with the modular bike lock tothe mobile device. The unique identifier may enable the mobile device tounlock the modular bike lock. The modular bike lock may be configured tolock automatically in response to receiving the locking end within aportion of the locking mechanism without receiving an additional inputfrom the mobile device. The modular bike lock may be mountable on asupport structure.

In another aspect, a system for locking bikes is provided. The systemmay include a server, a wireless communications hub, and a plurality ofmodular bike locks. Each of the plurality of modular bike locks mayinclude a locking mechanism, a securement mechanism coupled with thelocking mechanism, a wireless communications interface, and a processor.The securement mechanism may be configured to wrap around at least aportion of a bicycle. The securement mechanism may include a locking endconfigured to engage with the locking mechanism to lock the modular bikelock. Each modular bike lock may be configured to receive, using thewireless communications interface, a selection from a mobile device thatindicates that a user of the mobile device has selected to use themodular bike lock, receive, using the wireless communications interface,a mobile device identifier associated with the mobile device,communicate, using the wireless communications interface, a uniqueidentifier associated with the modular bike lock to the mobile device,lock automatically in response to receiving the locking end within aportion of the locking mechanism without receiving an additional inputfrom the mobile device, and to be mounted on a support structure. Theunique identifier may enable the mobile device to unlock the modularbike lock.

The server may be configured to receive an unlock command associatedwith a locked modular bike lock. The unlock command may include themobile device identifier and the unique identifier from the mobiledevice. The server may also be configured to communicate the unlockcommand to the wireless communications hub. The communication may bedirected to the wireless communications hub based on the uniqueidentifier. The wireless communications hub may include a servercommunications interface in communication with the server that may beconfigured to receive the unlock command from the server. The wirelesscommunications hub may also include a short range communicationsinterface in communication with the plurality of modular bike locks thatmay be configured to communicate the unlock command to the modular bikelock associated with the unique identifier. The modular bike lockassociated with the unique identifier may be further configured tovalidate the mobile device identifier and the unique identifier andunlock the modular bike lock in response to successfully validating themobile device identifier and the unique identifier.

In another aspect, a method for locking a bike to a structure isprovided. The method may include providing, by wireless communicationsinterface of a modular bike lock to a mobile device, an indication thatthe modular bike lock is available to use. The method may also includereceiving, using the wireless communications interface, a selection fromthe mobile device that indicates that a user of the mobile device hasselected to use the modular bike lock and communicating, using thewireless communications interface, a unique identifier associated withthe modular bike lock to the mobile device. The method may furtherinclude receiving a locking end of a securement mechanism of the modularbike lock within a locking mechanism of the modular bike lock andlocking the modular bike lock automatically in response to receiving thelocking end without receiving an additional input from the mobiledevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of variousembodiments may be realized by reference to the following figures. Inthe appended figures, similar components or features may have the samereference label. Further, various components of the same type may bedistinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 depicts a bike lock according to embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts the bike lock of FIG. 1 secured to a bike rack accordingto embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a locking mechanism of the bike lock of FIG. 1 accordingto embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a system diagram of a bike lock according to embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a system diagram of a system for locking bikes accordingto embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts a bike lock network according to embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for locking a bike according toembodiments.

FIG. 8 depicts computer system according to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present inventions provide bike commuters the abilityto secure their bikes without having to carry a bike lock with them. Thebike locks provided herein are compact electromechanical devices thatcan be mounted to most existing bike racks, as well as other structures.These bike locks include a securement mechanism, such as a curved rod orchain, that can be used to secure the user's bike to the bike rack. Tooperate the lock, the user can interface with the lock using a wirelesscommunication protocol, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth® or near fieldcommunication (NFC), and/or other radio frequency (RF) or wirelessprotocol, via a mobile device. Such access may be gained by searchingfor or otherwise locating a nearby available bike lock. Searching mayinclude accessing a list of bike locks on a mobile application and/orwebsite that enables a user to control a lock/unlock state of aparticular bike lock using a mobile device. The lock itself may bemounted to a bike rate or other feature.

In some embodiments, the bike lock may communicate with mobile devicesdirectly and/or using an intermediate wireless communications hub. Insome embodiments, the bike lock may be configured to communicatedirectly with a mobile device using a short range communicationsinterface, such as Bluetooth®, NFC, and/or other RF source. The bikelock may then be connected with a wireless communications hub, which mayconnect to a larger network, such as the Internet. Such a configurationallows a user to control lock/unless access of the bike lock remotelyusing the mobile device. For example, the user may interact with amobile application and/or website using the mobile device to remotelyunlock a particular bike lock. The interaction may result in a commandbeing communicated to a server via the Internet. The server may thencommunicate the command to the wireless communications hub, which mayroute the command to the bike lock. The connection between the wirelesscommunications hub and the bike lock may be a short range communicationnetwork, such as that used by the bike lock to communicate with themobile device. Such systems prevent the bike lock from needing to bedirectly connected to the Internet.

The bike locks described herein may be easily installed on existing bikeracks or other structures, with little to no modification of the supportstructure itself. Additionally, the bike locks do not require a runningconduit for power or communication, as such components may beself-contained within the bike lock. While described primarily inconjunction with bike locks, it will be appreciated that other lockingmechanisms may utilize similar technology. For example, it iscontemplated that such locking mechanisms and methods may be utilizedfor gym lockers, parking meters, doors, and other examples where a usermay want to temporarily reserve and use a particular good or serviceaccessible by the public.

Turning now to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a modular bike lock 100 isshown. Bike lock 100 includes a housing 102, which is configured to holda locking mechanism 112 (shown in FIG. 3) and electric components, suchas a wireless communications interface, processor, memory, and lockcontrol mechanism (as shown in FIG. 4). In some embodiments, housing 102may also include one or more status indicators 104. Status indicators104 may be configured to provide a locked status of the bike lock 100and/or to alert a user when a communication, such as a payment attempt,was successfully received by the bike lock 100. Status indicators 104may include light emitting diodes, speakers, and/or other audio and/orvisual indicator of a particular status. As just one example, an LED maybe illuminated in red to show that a particular bike lock 100 iscurrently locked, while an LED (the same or different) may beilluminated in green to show that the bike lock 100 is available foruse. It will be appreciated that any indicator device, such as a speakeror display screen may be usable as a status indicator 104.

Bike lock 100 may also include one or more securement mechanisms 106.Securement mechanisms 106 may be chains, rods, and/or other flexibleand/or rigid components that may be used to secure a bike to a bike rackor other structure. Securement mechanisms 106 often include metalliccomponents that are resistant to cutting and other forces that may breakthe securement mechanism 106. At least one end of each securementmechanism 106 may be removably secured within the housing 102. Forexample, a lock latch 108 or other mating feature may be provided at oneend of the securement mechanism 106. The latch 108 may be inserted intoa portion of a locking mechanism within the housing to secure the bikelock 100. The latch 108 and locking mechanism may be configured to lockautomatically, in a purely mechanical fashion, upon the latch beinginserted into the locking mechanism. The latch 108 and locking mechanismmay stay in the locked state until an electrical unlock signal isreceived by the bike lock, causing the locking mechanism to release thelatch 108. In this manner, the bike lock 100 may be locked without anyinteraction with a mobile device, but requires a mobile device to beunlocked, making the bike lock 100 openable only by a person in physicalpossession of the mobile device.

The bike lock 100 may be positioned on any support structure, such as abike rack 110, as shown in FIG. 2. Bike lock 100 may be secured to bikerack 110 by using fasteners such as bolts or clamps, by welding, may beformed integral with a bike rack 110, and/or secured to the bike rack110 using other known techniques. Oftentimes, it is desirable to securebike lock 100 to an existing bike rack 110 without modifying the bikerack 110 itself. In such embodiments, techniques such as lockable clampsare often used. Typically, the bike locks 100 will be secured on thebike racks 110 in such a way that special tools or keys are required toremove the bike lock 100, thus helping to prevent theft.

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of a locking mechanism 114 that may becontained in housing 102 of bike lock 100. Locking mechanism 114 may beused to secure a clasp or latch 108 of the securement mechanism 106. Forexample, latch 108 may be secured within a recess 140 by one or morepins 116. Pins 116 may slide into a recess or notch formed within a sideof latch 108 to secure the end of latch 108 within the housing 102 whenin a locked state. To unlock the locking mechanism 114, upon receivingan unlock command from a mobile device, a processor or other controlmechanism may cause a motor to actuate, causing a cam 118 to rotate. Cam118 may include a number of arms 120. As cam 118 rotates (in thisembodiment clockwise, although other designs may reverse the rotation),a first one of the arms 120 will push against a rotational member 122that is spring-biased by torsion spring 124. Rotational member 122 maybe coupled with pin 116. As rotational member 122 is pushed by the firstarm 120, an opposite end of rotational member 122 is pushed away fromlatch 106 as the rotational member 122 rotates about a pivot point 126.This causes the pin 116 to slide out of the recess in latch 108,releasing the latch 108 and unlocking the bike lock 100. While in theunlocked state, the first arm 120 of cam 118 remains in position forcingthe rotation of the rotational member 122 such that the pin 116 remainsout of the way of latch 108. While the cam 118 is forcing the rotationalmember 122 in a direction away from the cam 118, a second one of thearms 120 of cam 118 presses against and depresses an angled portion ofextension 128 of an elongated member 130 until second arm 120 rotatesbeyond the extension 128 and seats along a main body of elongated member130, with a restraining surface of extension 128 being positionedproximate the second arm 120. Elongated member is coupled with a tensionspring 132. Tension spring 132 and elongated member 130 are coupled witha connecting member 134 and a sliding member 136. In some embodiments,connecting member 134 may have a fixed pivot point 138 between thesliding member 136 and elongated member 130. This allows the connectingmember to pivot or rotate about pivot point 138. As the latch 108 isremoved when unlocked, the tension spring 132 pulls elongated member 130away from the cam 118, while the connecting member 134 forces slidingmember 136 in an opposite direction such that the sliding member 136enters a portion of the recess 140. The movement of the elongated member130 causes the restraining surface of extension 128 to pull the secondarm 120 of the cam 118 to a reset position, such that the arms 120 ofcam 118 are no longer biasing any members of the locking mechanism 114and allowing rotational member 122 and pin 116 to return to theirneutral positions with the pin 116 positioned within the recess 140.

The locking mechanism 114 may be configured to lock automatically,without any input from a mobile device, or any actuation by anelectronic source. For example, as a user inserts the latch 108 withinthe recess 140, angled edges 142 of the latch 108 press against andforce both pin 116 and sliding member 136 out of the recess 140. Whenfully inserted within the recess 140, the notch of latch 108 is alignedwith the pin 116 and torsion spring 124 forces the pin 116 to slide intothe notch, thereby locking the latch 108 within the locking mechanism114. As sliding member 136 is forced out of recess 140, the elongatedmember 130 is forced back toward cam 118, thereby resetting the positionof the elongated member 130.

It will be appreciated that the above locking mechanism 114 is merelyone example of a self-locking mechanism that is usable with the bikelocks 100. Other mechanisms may be used that are unlockable by using amotor or other electromechanical device and that are lockable usingpurely mechanical interactions. Additionally, some embodiments, mayforego the purely mechanical locking mechanism and require an electricsignal, such as a lock command from a mobile device, to actuate a motorto drive a locking sequence. Housing 102, as well as other components ofthe locking mechanism 114 of the bike lock 100 may be formed ofsynthetic materials such as plastics and/or composites, metals, and/orcombinations thereof, although metallic components, such as steelcomponents are often utilized to provide a sturdier design that is moreresistant to wear and breakage associated with theft and vandalismattempts. Components may be forged, cast, 3D-printed, and/or otherwiseformed, and may be assembled using any combination of mechanicalfasteners, mating features, welding, adhesives, and/or other knownsecurement techniques.

FIG. 4 depicts a system diagram of a bike lock 200. Bike lock 200 mayhave similar features as bike lock 100, and include a similar oridentical structure. For example, bike lock 200 may include a lockingmechanism 202. Locking mechanism 202 may have a same or different designstructure as locking mechanism 114, with the locking mechanism 202 beingconfigured to lock automatically upon receiving a latch and to unlockupon receiving an unlock command from a mobile device. Suchcommunications may be received using a communications interface 204.Communications interface 204 may include one or more short rangeantennas. For example, communications interface 204 may include aBluetooth®, NFC, and/or other short range communications antenna. Asjust one example, a mobile device may provide an unlock command to thebike lock 200 using a Bluetooth® signal received by the communicationsinterface 204. The unlock command may cause a processor 206 or otherlock control mechanism to manipulate a motor and/or otherelectromechanical actuator of the locking mechanism 202. In someembodiments, the unlock command may include an identifier of the mobiledevice and/or an identifier of the bike lock 200. The processor 206 mayvalidate the identifier(s), and upon successful validation, theprocessor 206 may cause the actuation of the locking mechanism 202 tounlock the bike lock 200. The components of bike lock 200, including thelocking mechanism 202, communications interface 204, and processor 206may be powered by a self-contained power source, such as batter 208. Insome embodiments, the battery 208 may be replaceable and/orrechargeable. For example, the battery 208 may be coupled to a solarcell 210 or other charging mechanism. Solar cell 210 may be positionedon an outer surface of the bike lock 200 that is exposed to sufficientamounts of sunlight to charge the battery 208 and/or power theelectronics of bike lock 200. In some embodiments, a charging port maybe provided on a housing of bike lock 200 allowing a user to plug apower source into the bike lock 200 to recharge the battery 208. Each ofthe components of bike lock 200 may be electrically and communicativelycoupled via a bus extending between the various components.

FIG. 5 is a system diagram showing the interactions of variouscomponents of a system for locking a bike. The system includes at leastone bike lock 300. Bike lock 300 may be similar to bike locks 100 and200 described herein. For example, each bike lock 300 may include alocking mechanism configured to lockably secure a latch or other lockingend of a securement mechanism, such as a chain or rod that may bepositioned around at least a portion of a bike. For example, a latch maybe inserted within a recess of a locking mechanism where it is held inplace by one or more locking pins, such as in bike lock 200. Bike lock300 may also include a wireless communications interface that isconfigured to enable short range wireless communications with otherdevices. For example, the wireless communications interface may includeone or more antennas configured to transmit and/or receive signals usingBluetooth®, NFC, and/or other short range communications protocols. Bikelock 300 may also include a processor configured to unlock the bike lock300.

To use the bike lock 300, a user may input a selection of a particularbike lock 300 using a mobile device 302. For example, the user maysearch for an available bike lock 300 using a website or mobileapplication, which may provide a list and/or a map of available bikelocks 300 in a particular area. In some embodiments, locating a nearbyavailable bike lock 300 may be done by the website and/or mobileapplication leveraging a Bluetooth® or other wireless antenna of themobile device 302 to detect bike locks 300 that are within a signalbroadcast range of the mobile device 302. In such embodiments, the bikelock 300 may communicate directly with the mobile device 302. Forexample, a user may open a mobile application on the mobile device 302and a list is populated with bike locks 300 with Bluetooth® or othersignals that are detected by the mobile device 302. In some embodiments,only those bike locks 300 that are available for use may be detected bythe mobile device 302, while bike locks 300 that are currently beingused to secure bikes are not detected and/or shown to the user on themobile device 302. In other embodiments, all bike locks 300 may be shownon the mobile device 302, along with a status identifier that indicateswhether each bike lock 300 is currently available or already in use.

In other embodiments, a list or map of bike locks 300 may be provided tothe user and searching may be done based on global positioning satellite(GPS) data from the mobile device 302. For example, a mobile applicationand/or website may detect the user's location based on GPS or otherlocation data from the mobile device 302 and compare that to a databaseof known bike locks 300 to present the user a subset of bike locks 300that are available for use. In some embodiments, all known bike locks300 may be shown, with a status identifier indicating which bike locks300 are currently available for use and/or which bike locks 300 arecurrently being used to secure a bike. In other embodiments, only thosebike locks 300 that are currently available for use may be shown. Insome embodiments, this may be done by each bike lock 300 communicatingits status to a server 304, which may use this information to update themobile application and/or website. Oftentimes, the bike lock 300 willonly have a short range wireless communications interface and will notbe directly connected to the Internet. In such embodiments, a wirelesscommunications hub 306 may be configured to interface with both the bikelock 300 and the server 304. For example, hub 306 may include a shortrange communications interface in communication with a number of bikelocks 300. For example, a short range antenna, such as a Bluetooth®antenna, may be included in hub 306 to communicate with bike lock 300.The wireless communications hub 306 may also include a servercommunications interface in communication with the server 304, which maybe positioned remotely from the hub 306. The server communicationsinterface may include an Internet accessible connection and/or may beprivately connected to the server 304, which may itself be connected tothe Internet. For example, the server communications interface mayinclude one or more wireless communications media, Ethernet, and/orother public or private communications interface between the server 304and hub 306. Such setups allow the bike lock 300 to be accessible viathe Internet, such as through the mobile application and/or a website.In some embodiments, the bike lock 300 may transmit an indication of thestatus of the bike lock 300 (e.g., available or in use) to the hub 306,which may forward the indication to the server 304 for updating thelists and/or maps.

interface of his mobile device 302. This selection may be transmitted,using a mobile application or website accessed by the mobile device 302,to the bike lock 300. This may be a direct transmission, such as whenthe mobile device 302 is within a communication range of a Bluetooth® orother signal of the bike lock 300 and/or an indirect transmission overthe Internet, using the server 304 and hub 306 to route the selection toa particular bike lock 300. Such routing may be done by including anidentifier of the selected bike lock 300 in the transmission such thatthe server 304 and hub 306 may use the identifier as a delivery addressfor the transmission. The bike lock 300 may receive the direct and/orindirect transmission and establish a communication link between theselected bike lock 300 and the mobile device 302.

The bike lock 300 and mobile device 302 may then exchange identificationinformation. For example, the mobile device 302 may send the bike lock300 an identifier, such as a phone number, serial number, InternationalMobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), and/or other unique identifier, to thebike lock 300, which may store the mobile device identifier on a memorydevice of the bike lock 300. Similarly, the bike lock 300 maycommunicate its own identifier to the mobile device 302, which may storethe bike lock identifier on a portion of the mobile device memory thatis accessible to the mobile application and/or website. It will beappreciated that while described as an exchange of identifiers, someembodiments may involve only the bike lock 300 or the mobile device 302to send an identifier. In other embodiments, one or both of the devicesmay exchange multiple types of identifying information to further securethe lock/unlock process. By exchanging information between both devices,it may be more feasible for a single mobile device 302 to have controlof multiple bike locks 300 at a single time, as unlocking would requirethe identity of a particular lock to be verified as well as the identityof the mobile device 302.

In some embodiments, the selected bike lock 300 may be available for anew user, but still be in the locked state. For example, the previoususer may have removed his bike from the bike lock 300 but thenre-latched the locking end within the locking mechanism. Upon receivingthe selection from the mobile device 302 and/or exchanging identifiers,the bike lock 300 may make a determination whether it is in the lockedor unlocked state. If locked, the bike lock 300 may actuate a motor orother mechanism to unlock the latch from the locking mechanism, thusmaking the bike lock 300 accessible to the new user.

Once the identifiers have been exchanged, the bike lock 300 may beusable by the user of the mobile device 302. An indication of use may beprovided via an audio and/or visual indication produced on the mobiledevice 302 and/or the bike lock 300. For example, a message indicatingthat the user now has access to the bike lock 300 may be presented on adisplay of the mobile device 302. In other embodiments, an audible soundand/or a vibration may be produced using a speaker and/or vibrationelement of a mobile device 300. In yet other embodiments, the bike lock300 may illuminate a status indicator, such as an LED, or produce anaudible sound indication. It will be appreciated that any combination ofalerts may be used to indicate to a user that a bike lock is nowavailable for use. The user may then position the securement mechanismof the bike lock 300 around at least a portion of a bike or other objectand insert the latch into a locking mechanism, which locks automaticallyin response to receiving the locking end/latch within a portion of thelocking mechanism. Thus, the user is not required to electronically lockthe bike lock 300. This helps ensure that users do not forget a finalstep of interacting with their mobile device 302 before leaving theirbike.

While the bike lock 300 is securing a bike or other object, the bikelock 300 may keep the user updated with any changes in a status of thebike lock 300. As one example, the mobile application and/or website mayshow the user a current status of any bike lock 300 the user iscurrently controlling and/or has controlled within a predeterminedthreshold of time. As another example, if the bike lock 300 is unlocked,with and/or without receiving an instruction to unlock from the mobiledevice 302, the mobile application and/or website may cause an alert tobe communicated to the mobile device 302. For example, a pushnotification, SMS message, email message, automated phone call, and/orother alert may be provided to the mobile device 302 indicating that thebike lock 300 has been unlocked. This alert may help a user detect atheft of the bike remotely and provide the user with the ability toquickly alert authorities while the theft is still in progress. Otheralerts may be tied to a certain amount of movement or damage detected bythe bike lock 300 that may be indicative of a theft attempt. Forexample, the bike lock 300 may include an accelerometer, GPS unit,and/or other motion sensor that may detect when the bike lock 300 hasbeen or is moved. If a threshold amount of movement, which could bebased on a number of inches, feet, or other length measurement, and/or avalue measured by the accelerometer, is detected, an alert may betransmitted to the mobile device causing a textual, other visual form,audio, and/or vibrational alert to be produced on the mobile device 302.In some embodiments, the alert may include a description of the alertevent detected. Additional alerts may be provided if the bike lock 300loses communication with the hub 306. This may be indicative of a powerfailure (so a user may not be able to remotely unlock the bike lock 300)or of movement of the bike lock 300 outside a signal range of the hub306.

Unlocking the bike lock 300 may be done in two ways. The user of themobile device 302 may return to a close proximity with the bike lock 300such that the mobile device 302 and bike lock 300 may communicatedirectly over a short range communications network. Once in range, theuser may interact with the mobile application and/or website on themobile device 302 to send an unlock command to the bike lock 300. Theunlock command may include one or both of the mobile device identifierand the bike lock identifier. The modular bike lock associated with thebike lock identifier may be further configured to validate the unlockcommand. This may include comparing the identifiers in the unlockcommand with the identifier of the bike lock 300 and with the mobiledevice identifier stored in the memory of bike lock 300. If theidentifiers match, the bike lock 300 may send a signal to a motor orother actuator of the locking mechanism and unlock the bike lock 300. Insome embodiments, a user may wish to unlock a bike lock 300 remotely.For example, the user may have a friend who wishes to borrow the user'sbike, while the user does not wish to go to the location where the bikeis secured. In such situations, the user may access the mobileapplication and/or website using mobile device 302 to communicate aremote unlock command to the bike lock 300. The remote unlock commandmay be transmitted to the server 304, which may route the unlock commandto the hub 306. Hub 306 may then relay the unlock command to the bikelock 300 for validation of identifiers within the unlock command. Theidentifier of the bike lock 300 may be used by both the server 304 andthe hub 306 to route the command to the correct bike lock 300.

Once the bike lock 300 is unlocked, it may be reset for a next user. Insome embodiments, this may include deleting the stored mobile deviceidentifier from a memory of the bike lock 300 and/or changing anidentifier of the bike lock 300 itself. This may include the server 304and/or the bike lock 300 generating a new identifier and communicatingit to the other. The generation of new identifiers may enable systemswhere only the bike lock 300 provides an identifier to the mobile device302 such that validation includes only validating that the mobile device302 has the proper bike lock identifier. Thus, each transaction or useinvolves a new identifier so that a user may not reuse or share theidentifier to get additional uses of the bike lock 300. Additionally,this prevents thieves from learning the identifier and using it to aidin crimes.

In some embodiments, the bike lock 300 may require payment to be used.Payment may be received in a number of ways. For example, upon selectinga particular bike lock 300, a user may be asked to remit payment for theuse The user may provide payment via a payment reader on the bike lock300 itself, such as an NFC reader, magnetic stripe reader, chip cardreader, and/or other payment readers, which may be part of and/orconnected to the communications interface of a bike lock 300. Thepayment information may be read from a payment media 308 by the paymentreader of the bike lock 300 and transmitted to server 304 via hub 306,where the payment may be processed, such as by authenticating with abank or issuing financial institution of the payment media 308. Uponauthentication of the payment, the server 304 may communicate anauthorization message to the bike lock 300 via the hub 306. Theauthorization message may instruct the bike lock 300 to continue makingitself available to the user of the mobile device. In other embodiments,the user may wish to pay using the mobile application and/or website. Insuch embodiments, the user may either select funds from an accountassociated with the mobile application and/or web site or provide fundselectronically, such as by entering payment information into the mobileapplication and/or website. This information may be sent from the mobiledevice 302 to the server 304, which may process the payment and providean authorization message to the bike lock.

FIG. 6 shows a system for locking bikes, similar to that of FIG. 5. Thesystem includes a number of bike locks 400 that are each communicativelycoupled with a hub 402. A number of hubs 402 are provided, and each hubis communicatively coupled to a server 404.

The system represents a possible set up of a bike lock network, with oneor more servers 404 controlling one or more hubs 402, with each hub 402communicating with one or more bike locks 400. It will be appreciatedthat the scale of a network of bike locks 400 may include any number ofbike locks 400, hubs 402, and/or servers 404 based on the needs anddesires of the operator of the bike lock network. The components of thebike lock network may operate in the same fashion as the systemdescribed in relation to FIG. 5. In some embodiments, each hub 402 maybe in a back room or within a store or other business where the hub 402may be provided with power and a connection to the Internet. The hub 402must then be positioned within a signal range of the bike locks 400.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a process 500 for locking a bike to astructure is provided. Process 500 may be performed by any of the bikelocks and/or systems described herein. The bike lock may be secured to asupport structure, such as a pole, a bike rack, or other fixture. Thismany involve bolting, clamping, welding, and/or otherwise securing thebike lock to the structure in a manner that is difficult to reversewithout proper tools and/or a key. Process 500 may include providing, bywireless communications interface of a modular bike lock to a mobiledevice, an indication that the modular bike lock is available to use atblock 502. This may include the bike lock directly transmitting anindication to a mobile device that is within a signal range of a shortrange communications antenna, such as a Bluetooth® antenna, of the bikelock. In other embodiments, the indication may be provided by the bikelock to a wireless communications hub that forwards the indication to aserver. The server may then use the indication to help populate a listand/or map of available bike locks near the mobile device. At block 504,a selection may be received by the bike lock from the mobile device. Theselection may indicates that a user of the mobile device has selected touse the selected modular bike lock. Such a selection may be made by theuser of the mobile device, such as by interacting with a user interfaceof a website and/or mobile application presented on a display of themobile device. The selection may be received directly from the mobiledevice using the short range communications antenna of the bike lockand/or indirectly via the server and hub. In some embodiments, theselected bike lock may determine that it is in a locked state and mayunlock the bike lock based on this determination, thus allowing the userto access the lock. In some embodiments, the process 500 may alsoinclude receiving a payment for use of the bike lock. This payment maybe received by a payment reader of the bike lock and/or transmittedelectronically to the server by the mobile device. The payment may bereceived at any time of the process 500, such as before or afterselection of a particular lock.

The bike lock may communicate, using the wireless communicationsinterface, a unique identifier associated with the modular bike lock tothe mobile device at block 506 This identifier may be stored by themobile device in a memory location accessible by the mobile applicationand/or website. In some embodiments, the mobile device may also providea mobile device identifier to the bike lock, with this identifier beingstored in a memory of the bike lock. A locking end and/or latch of asecurement mechanism of the modular bike lock may be received within alocking mechanism of the modular bike lock at block 508. For example, auser may position the securement mechanism, such as a chain or rod,around a portion of the user's bike or other object and then insert alatch on one end of the securement mechanism into the locking mechanism.This may cause the bike lock to lock automatically due to the mechanicalstructure of the bike lock, without receiving an additional input fromthe mobile device.

While locked and in use, the bike lock may be configured to alert theuser of the mobile device of changes in status of the bike lock. Forexample, if the bike lock is unlocked, moved, damaged, and/orcommunication with the hub is lost, the bike lock may communicate analert (likely to the hub and server to be relayed to the mobile device)to the mobile device. Such alerts may include textual, and/or otheraudio and/or visual alerts indicating that the status of the bike lockhas changed. This may include sending an SMS message, push notification,email, automated phone call, and/or other alert to the mobile device,causing the mobile device to produce the audio and/or visual alert whenreceived.

To unlock the bike lock, the bike lock must receive an unlock commandfrom the mobile device. This may include receiving the command directlyfrom the mobile device when the mobile device is in a signal range ofthe bike lock and/or receiving the command indirectly via the server andhub. Once received, the unlock command causes the bike lock to unlock.The unlock command may include the bike lock identifier and/or themobile device identifier. The bike lock may validate these identifiers,and upon successful validation, unlock itself.

A computer system as illustrated in FIG. 8 may be incorporated as partof the previously described computerized devices. For example, computersystem 600 can represent some of the components of the image capturedevices, positional sensors, fare access gates and/or central serversdescribed herein. FIG. 8 provides a schematic illustration of oneembodiment of a computer system 600 that can perform the methodsprovided by various other embodiments, as described herein. FIG. 8 ismeant only to provide a generalized illustration of various components,any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. FIG. 8, therefore,broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be implemented ina relatively separated or relatively more integrated manner.

The computer system 600 is shown comprising hardware elements that canbe electrically coupled via a bus 605 (or may otherwise be incommunication, as appropriate). The hardware elements may include aprocessing unit 610, including without limitation one or moregeneral-purpose processors and/or one or more special-purpose processors(such as digital signal processing chips, graphics accelerationprocessors, and/or the like); one or more input devices 615, which caninclude without limitation a mouse, a keyboard, a touchscreen, receiver,a motion sensor, a camera, a smartcard reader, a contactless mediareader, and/or the like; and one or more output devices 620, which caninclude without limitation a display device, a speaker, a printer, awriting module, and/or the like.

The computer system 600 may further include (and/or be in communicationwith) one or more non-transitory storage devices 625, which cancomprise, without limitation, local and/or network accessible storage,and/or can include, without limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, anoptical storage device, a solid-state storage device such as a randomaccess memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can beprogrammable, flash-updateable and/or the like. Such storage devices maybe configured to implement any appropriate data stores, includingwithout limitation, various file systems, database structures, and/orthe like.

The computer system 600 might also include a communication interface630, which can include without limitation a modem, a network card(wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wirelesscommunication device and/or chipset (such as a Bluetooth™ device, an502.11 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMax device, an NFC device, cellularcommunication facilities, etc.), and/or similar communicationinterfaces. The communication interface 630 may permit data to beexchanged with a network (such as the network described below, to nameone example), other computer systems, and/or any other devices describedherein. In many embodiments, the computer system 600 will furthercomprise a non-transitory working memory 635, which can include a RAM orROM device, as described above.

The computer system 600 also can comprise software elements, shown asbeing currently located within the working memory 635, including anoperating system 640, device drivers, executable libraries, and/or othercode, such as one or more application programs 645, which may comprisecomputer programs provided by various embodiments, and/or may bedesigned to implement methods, and/or configure systems, provided byother embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one ormore procedures described with respect to the method(s) discussed abovemight be implemented as code and/or instructions executable by acomputer (and/or a processor within a computer); in an aspect, then,such code and/or instructions can be used to configure and/or adapt ageneral purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or moreoperations in accordance with the described methods.

A set of these instructions and/or code might be stored on acomputer-readable storage medium, such as the storage device(s) 625described above. In some cases, the storage medium might be incorporatedwithin a computer system, such as computer system 600. In otherembodiments, the storage medium might be separate from a computer system(e.g., a removable medium, such as a compact disc), and/or provided inan installation package, such that the storage medium can be used toprogram, configure and/or adapt a special purpose computer with theinstructions/code stored thereon. These instructions might take the formof executable code, which is executable by the computer system 600and/or might take the form of source and/or installable code, which,upon compilation and/or installation on the computer system 600 (e.g.,using any of a variety of generally available compilers, installationprograms, compression/decompression utilities, etc.) then takes the formof executable code.

Substantial variations may be made in accordance with specificrequirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used,and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software(including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. Moreover,hardware and/or software components that provide certain functionalitycan comprise a dedicated system (having specialized components) or maybe part of a more generic system. For example, a risk management engineconfigured to provide some or all of the features described hereinrelating to the risk profiling and/or distribution can comprise hardwareand/or software that is specialized (e.g., an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a software method, etc.) or generic (e.g.,processing unit 610, applications 645, etc.) Further, connection toother computing devices such as network input/output devices may beemployed.

Some embodiments may employ a computer system (such as the computersystem 600) to perform methods in accordance with the disclosure. Forexample, some or all of the procedures of the described methods may beperformed by the computer system 600 in response to processing unit 610executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions (which mightbe incorporated into the operating system 640 and/or other code, such asan application program 645) contained in the working memory 635. Suchinstructions may be read into the working memory 635 from anothercomputer-readable medium, such as one or more of the storage device(s)625. Merely by way of example, execution of the sequences ofinstructions contained in the working memory 635 might cause theprocessing unit 610 to perform one or more procedures of the methodsdescribed herein.

The terms “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium,” asused herein, refer to any medium that participates in providing datathat causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion. In an embodimentimplemented using the computer system 600, various computer-readablemedia might be involved in providing instructions/code to processingunit 610 for execution and/or might be used to store and/or carry suchinstructions/code (e.g., as signals). In many implementations, acomputer-readable medium is a physical and/or tangible storage medium.Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to,non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatilemedia include, for example, optical and/or magnetic disks, such as thestorage device(s) 625. Volatile media include, without limitation,dynamic memory, such as the working memory 635. Transmission mediainclude, without limitation, coaxial cables, copper wire and fiberoptics, including the wires that comprise the bus 605, as well as thevarious components of the communication interface 630 (and/or the mediaby which the communication interface 630 provides communication withother devices). Hence, transmission media can also take the form ofwaves (including without limitation radio, acoustic and/or light waves,such as those generated during radio-wave and infrared datacommunications).

Common forms of physical and/or tangible computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a magnetic medium, optical medium, or any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave asdescribed hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer canread instructions and/or code.

The communication interface 630 (and/or components thereof) generallywill receive the signals, and the bus 605 then might carry the signals(and/or the data, instructions, etc. carried by the signals) to theworking memory 635, from which the processor(s) 605 retrieves andexecutes the instructions. The instructions received by the workingmemory 635 may optionally be stored on a non-transitory storage device625 either before or after execution by the processing unit 610.

The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Someembodiments were described as processes depicted as flow diagrams orblock diagrams. Although each may describe the operations as asequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallelor concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may berearranged. A process may have additional steps not included in thefigure. Furthermore, embodiments of the methods may be implemented byhardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardwaredescription languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented insoftware, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or codesegments to perform the associated tasks may be stored in acomputer-readable medium such as a storage medium. Processors mayperform the associated tasks.

It must be stressed that various embodiments may omit, substitute, oradd various procedures or components as appropriate. Also, featuresdescribed with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in variousother embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments maybe combined in a similar manner. Also, it should be emphasized thattechnology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples andshould not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention.

Specific details are given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practicedwithout these specific details. For example, well-known structures andtechniques have been shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoidobscuring the embodiments. This description provides example embodimentsonly, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, orconfiguration of the invention. Rather, the preceding description of theembodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enablingdescription for implementing embodiments of the invention. Variouschanges may be made in the function and arrangement of elements withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described several embodiments, it will be recognized by those ofskill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of theinvention. For example, the above elements may merely be a component ofa larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over orotherwise modify the application of the invention. Also, a number ofsteps may be undertaken before, during, or after the above elements areconsidered. Accordingly, the above description should not be taken aslimiting the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A modular bike lock, comprising: a lockingmechanism; a securement mechanism coupled with the locking mechanism,the securement mechanism being configured to wrap around at least aportion of a bicycle, wherein the securement mechanism comprises alocking end configured to engage with the locking mechanism to lock themodular bike lock; a wireless communications interface; a processor, theprocessor being configured to: receive, using the wirelesscommunications interface, a selection from a mobile device thatindicates that a user of the mobile device has selected to use themodular bike lock; and communicate, using the wireless communicationsinterface, a unique identifier associated with the modular bike lock tothe mobile device, the unique identifier enabling the mobile device tounlock the modular bike lock; wherein: the modular bike lock isconfigured to lock automatically in response to receiving the lockingend within a portion of the locking mechanism without receiving anadditional input from the mobile device; and the modular bike lock ismountable on a support structure.
 2. The modular bike lock of claim 1,wherein: the wireless communications interface comprises one or more ofa Wi-Fi interface, a Bluetooth interface, or a near field communication(NFC) interface.
 3. The modular bike lock of claim 1, furthercomprising: a self-contained power source configured to provide powereach component of the modular bike lock.
 4. The modular bike lock ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, priorto locking the modular bike lock, a mobile device identifier associatedwith the mobile device; receive, after the modular bike lock is locked,the mobile device identifier and the unique identifier from the mobiledevice; validate the mobile device identifier and the unique identifier;and unlock the modular bike lock in response to successfully validatingthe mobile device identifier and the unique identifier.
 5. The modularbike lock of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured toperform, upon unlocking the modular bike lock, one or both of: deletingthe mobile device identifier from a memory of the modular bike lock; orgenerating a new unique identifier associated with the modular bikelock.
 6. The modular bike lock of claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: receive, after the modular bike lock is locked,the unique identifier from the mobile device; validating the uniqueidentifier; and unlocking the modular bike lock in response tosuccessfully validating the mobile device identifier and the uniqueidentifier.
 7. The modular bike lock of claim 6, wherein the processoris further configured to: upon unlocking the modular bike lock, generatea new unique identifier associated with the modular bike lock.
 8. Themodular bike lock of claim 1, further comprising: an indicator mechanismconfigured to provide a status of whether the modular bike lock is in alocked state or an unlocked state.
 9. A system for locking bikes, thesystem comprising: a server; a wireless communications hub; and aplurality of modular bike locks, each comprising: a locking mechanism; asecurement mechanism coupled with the locking mechanism, the securementmechanism being configured to wrap around at least a portion of abicycle, wherein the securement mechanism comprises a locking endconfigured to engage with the locking mechanism to lock the modular bikelock; a wireless communications interface; and a processor, wherein eachmodular bike lock is configured to: receive, using the wirelesscommunications interface, a selection from a mobile device thatindicates that a user of the mobile device has selected to use themodular bike lock; receive, using the wireless communications interface,a mobile device identifier associated with the mobile device;communicate, using the wireless communications interface, a uniqueidentifier associated with the modular bike lock to the mobile device,the unique identifier enabling the mobile device to unlock the modularbike lock; lock automatically in response to receiving the locking endwithin a portion of the locking mechanism without receiving anadditional input from the mobile device; and be mounted on a supportstructure the server is configured to: receive an unlock commandassociated with a locked modular bike lock, the unlock commandcomprising the mobile device identifier and the unique identifier fromthe mobile device; and communicate the unlock command to the wirelesscommunications hub, the communication being directed to the wirelesscommunications hub based on the unique identifier; the wirelesscommunications hub comprises: a server communications interface incommunication with the server, the server communications interface beingconfigured to receive the unlock command from the server; and a shortrange communications interface in communication with the plurality ofmodular bike locks, the short range communications interface beingconfigured to communicate the unlock command to the modular bike lockassociated with the unique identifier; the modular bike lock associatedwith the unique identifier is further configured to: validate the mobiledevice identifier and the unique identifier; and unlock the modular bikelock in response to successfully validating the mobile device identifierand the unique identifier.
 10. The system for locking bikes of claim 9,wherein: the unlock command is received by the server via a mobileapplication executed on the mobile device or from a website accessed bythe mobile device.
 11. The system for locking bikes of claim 9, whereinserver is further configured to: process a payment received uponselection of the modular bike lock.
 12. The system for locking bikes ofclaim 11, wherein: the payment is received at the modular bike lock andforwarded to the server using the short range communications interfaceand server communications interface of the wireless communications hub.13. The system for locking bikes of claim 12, wherein: the payment isreceived using an NFC interface of the modular bike lock.
 14. A methodfor locking a bike to a structure, the method comprising: providing, bywireless communications interface of a modular bike lock to a mobiledevice, an indication that the modular bike lock is available to use;receiving, using the wireless communications interface, a selection fromthe mobile device that indicates that a user of the mobile device hasselected to use the modular bike lock; communicating, using the wirelesscommunications interface, a unique identifier associated with themodular bike lock to the mobile device; receiving a locking end of asecurement mechanism of the modular bike lock within a locking mechanismof the modular bike lock; and locking the modular bike lockautomatically in response to receiving the locking end without receivingan additional input from the mobile device.
 15. The method for locking abike to a structure of claim 14, further comprising: receiving, prior tolocking the modular bike lock, a mobile device identifier associatedwith the mobile device; receiving, after locking the modular bike lock,the mobile device identifier and the unique identifier from the mobiledevice; validating the mobile device identifier and the uniqueidentifier; and unlocking the modular bike lock in response tosuccessfully validating the mobile device identifier and the uniqueidentifier.
 16. The method for locking a bike to a structure of claim14, further comprising: upon receiving the selection, determining thatthe modular bike lock is in a locked state; and unlocking the modularbike lock in response to the determination.
 17. The method for locking abike to a structure of claim 14, further comprising: securing themodular bike lock to a support structure.
 18. The method for locking abike to a structure of claim 14, further comprising: sending an alert tothe mobile device upon a change in state of the modular bike between anunlocked state and a locked state.
 19. The method for locking a bike toa structure of claim 14, further comprising: receiving an unlock commandfrom the mobile device; and unlocking the modular bike lock in responseto the unlock command.
 20. The method for locking a bike to a structureof claim 19, wherein: the unlock command is received by the modular bikelock via a wireless communications hub.